


The Involuntary Time Traveller

by Pantless



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Ancient Rome, Fatal Injury, Gladiators, Homophobia, M/M, Major Character Injury, Oxford, Time Travel, World War I, knight & prince, mild swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-26
Updated: 2015-10-26
Packaged: 2018-04-28 07:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5083249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pantless/pseuds/Pantless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan can't sleep, so Phil tells him a bedtime story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Involuntary Time Traveller

 

**before reading: check out the amazing art that Kate did![Here](http://pbbk-x-t-x-ae.tumblr.com/post/131955185720/playlist) and [here!](http://pbbk-x-t-x-ae.tumblr.com/post/131979506395/this-is-some-art-for-pbb-fic-my-team-has-been-hard)**

**  
**

**_I_ **

 

Phil was awoken by a loud crash, followed by words so vulgar he didn’t want to hear them twice. He fought the urge to stay in the warmth under the duvet and fall back asleep, and quickly scrambled out of bed. There was a definite chill in the apartment; not cold enough for Phil to put a hoodie on, but goosebumps had formed on his arms by the time he had glanced into Dan’s room and continued down the hall. He wasn’t surprised to find Dan’s room empty, as it was only 2:30 in the morning. Phil knew of three possible places where Dan (who, judging by the crash, had undoubtedly broken something) could be. He took the three steps it took to reach the kitchen. As his foot made contact with the floor, he felt a stinging pain just underneath his toe. He tried to look but it was too dark to tell what had made the little cut on the bottom of his foot. Just as he was thinking of jumping down on one foot to the bathroom, Dan came up the stairs and turned on the lights. After blinking a few times, Phil saw that one thing was missing. 

“Dan…” he said, still looking into the kitchen, “where’s the door?” He turned to look at Dan who stood awkwardly in the hallway.

“Um…” Dan trailed, staring at his feet as if they were suddenly very interesting. His feet were, after all, decorated with hello kitty plasters of various shapes and sizes. Phil imitated Dan and looked down at his own feet. They were both bare and surrounded by glass. The door wasn’t missing at all, it was simply lying shattered on the floor. After a moment's awkward silence, Phil had to ask. 

“How did you…” he began but Dan interrupted him.

“I didn’t mean to!” He looked from his feet to the heap of glass on the floor. “I just forgot that it was there…again.” Phil stared at Dan in disbelief. 

“You shattered the door… by walking into it?!” Phil laughed. “It was almost half an inch thick! How did you manage to shatter it,” he had to pause to laugh even more, “with your face?!” He stood doubled over laughing until he couldn’t breathe. Dan couldn’t help but join in. When the laughter had died down, Dan fetched a broom and swept away the glass. 

 

After even more laughter and a 3am snack, they sat in Dan’s room discussing anything and everything that came to mind. 

“Should we look for a new door then?” Dan asked as he reached for his computer. 

“No.” Phil replied mockingly. “It gives the house an airier feel.” 

“Shut up,” Dan laughed. “Should we get a new glass one?”

“Yeah, let’s order one tomorrow.” Phil yawned. “And you’re paying for it!”  

“What?! You weakened it by smashing a frying pan into it last week!” Dan exclaimed. 

“Well...we can talk about that tomorrow. I’m going to fall asleep on the spot if I don’t go to bed soon.”  Phil yawned once more and stood up to leave the room.

“Can't we watch a movie or something?" Dan sighed and looked at Phil expectantly.

"Dan, it's 3 in the morning! I want to go back to sleep."

“It’s only 3am!” Dan countered. ”I can’t sleep now.”

“Well, I’m going to sleep,” Phil said as he turned to leave.

“But Phiiiiiiil!” Dan whined.

“Fine. I’ll tell you a bedtime story then shall I?” Phil said sarcastically. Dan looked doubtfully at him. “Well If you’re not going to sleep...” Phil continued. 

“Are you serious? A bedtime story? Phil, you know that I’m not 5, right?” he said skeptically.

“Don’t be so negative, make yourself comfortable and I’ll begin.” Dan still looked doubtful but obliged and snuggled up under the duvet. Phil got the butt chair and sat next to the bed.

“Once upon a time…” Phil began.

“Original,” Dan muttered.

“Shut up, Dan.” He laughed. “Once upon a time...” he continued, “there was a prince called Dan.” Dan raised one eyebrow. “His father ruled over an entire kingdom and Dan was soon to inherit it. But in order to inherit it, he had to choose a wife. The selected women were stood in one of the dining rooms in the castle and it was Dan’s job to pick one. It was, according to his father, a tradition and a hundred trillion or something of his ancestors had done it before him. As Dan looked at the supposedly beautiful women before him he couldn’t help but think about the line-up of possible knights the week earlier. The knights were braver than they were smart and stronger than they were kind. They made him realise that not everyone considered bathing a necessity. The maidens resembled the knights in every but one way. There wasn’t an exception. There was no maiden with eyes blue as the ocean and raven black hair…”

“Phil, you’re just describing yourself!” Dan chuckled.

“Well… yes…anyway, I was new to being a knight, so I didn’t know what to expect at the trials. I think I did well, though. I managed to avoid a shower of arrows by hiding behind a wheelbarrow full of hay! When everything was over, I crawled out to see a smug grin on the prince’s face and all the knights frowning. A few days later I got a letter from the royal post that told me to be outside the castle gates at midday to be let known if I was accepted or not. I went there first thing in the morning and stood waiting outside the gates for a few hours before the others arrived. A moment later, a guard came to pick us up. He led us through an endless spiderweb of corridors that was the castle and finally dropped us off at a room with huge windows and dark blue curtains that I would later know as the ‘impress visitors room,’ and indeed, it was impressive! The ceiling was higher than any house in the village and five big chandeliers hung from it. We stood in awe for awhile before the guard spoke, ‘His majesty will pick out the ones worthy of knighthood. The chosen ones will dine with him, and the rest will leave the castle before the festivities begin or face the consequences. Questions? No? Good.’ He took a pause to breathe. ‘His majesty Carl the 4th!’ he exclaimed, startling a few people. As soon as he finished the big oak doors flung open and the king strode in like he owned the place (which he did) followed by the queen and most importantly: the prince. The king positioned himself in front of the knights in a manner he thought looked intimidating. The prince shuffled awkwardly next to him and the queen was so short, she had to discreetly stand on a chair next to the prince. 

 

 

“The king looked at everyone and his smiled widened with pride for every pair of eyes he met. Except for mine. Once he saw me standing awkwardly at the side, his eyes narrowed and his lips formed a straight line. The disappointment in his face made it obvious, I was going to have to leave. Even though I knew my name wouldn’t be called out, I couldn’t help but sharpen my ears when the King started reciting them.

“Christian, Amis, Estienne, Waldes, Jan, manning!” he practically yelled, each name louder than the last. “Barlow, Caldwell, Brayden, Randall!” he paused slightly. “And Phil,” he added with a distasteful glance in my direction.

 

“In the rumble that ensued where the unqualified were being escorted out, I stared at the prince.  To my disbelief, he looked back, a small smile dancing on his lips, and then, so quick I could’ve missed it, he winked. I stood there just blinking for a minute. I couldn’t wrap my head around what had just happened. Did that mean that the prince insisted that I become a knight? My thoughts were bubbling uncontrollably in my head as the king declared that it was time to move into the dining hall. The other knights strode confidentially out in the hallway after the king, while I stumbled a few feet behind, lost in thought. Why would the prince want me to be a knight? Did he recognise me? Was it even the prince who...my train of thought was interrupted by someone pushing past me, pressing a piece of paper in my hand as he did. I looked up and saw brown hobbit hair making its way past the new knights. He was a head taller than everybody else. I looked in my hand and unfolded the note carefully. It read: “Meet me in the park at dusk, bring food and drink.” My heart was beating as if trying to escape, and my tummy did roly-polies. I followed the others to the dining hall and we stood, just as in the “impress visitors room,” with our jaws on the floor looking around, trying to absorb every detail. The room was, if possible, even more extraordinary than the “impress visitors room.” It had great wooden chairs and tables, and as we sat down I noticed the chandeliers made out of elk horns hung threateningly above us. We sat in silence for a few seconds before the food was brought out on large silver plates. As soon as it was put on the table, we dived in like a pack of half-starved wolves. The dining hall had turned into a buzz of people chatting enthusiastically about how amazing it was going to be to be a knight. I ate in silence, while observing everyone else. The prince wasn’t hard to locate. He was sitting at the table in the middle, looking right at me. I was suddenly self-conscious about every move. My palms started to sweat and my hands shook slightly. ‘Hey, you! Phil?’ I looked to my right and a short blond guy sat pointing eagerly at something behind me. ‘Yes…wh-’ but I was cut off. ‘The bowl behind you, quick, before anyone else eats the figs!’ I turned around and picked up the bowl. I should’ve expected it as I’d forgotten to wipe my hands, but before I knew it, the mysterious fig stew was all over the floor. The lighthearted chatting died down and when I looked up, all their eyes were on me. I glanced at the prince and saw him discretely giggling into his sleeve.

 

“It took less than a minute to throw me out. I suspected the king had already planned it. The guards by the door moved swiftly as they escorted me out of the room. Maybe I should’ve been angry but I wasn’t,; my mind was occupied by the image of the prince laughing to himself. His eyes lit up and his face was, if possible, more beautiful than before.

His fringe fell into his eyes as he looked down into his food, trying not to show his amusement to his father. Once I was left by the guards with a rehearsed warning, I started to walk aimlessly. My mind was a bubbling mess of thoughts. Without thinking about it, I picked up the note and reread it, folded it up again, smiled sheepishly and then reading it again. I continued this for what seemed like an eternity but probably wasn’t more than a couple of minutes. The note soon had creases from all the folding and unfolding. I had repeated the words so many times that they had almost lost their meaning. Slowly, my smile faltered and my purposeless walking came to a halt. I unfolded the note and reread it one more time. ‘ring food and drink.’ Why would a prince need food and drink? Doesn’t he get whatever he wants when he wants it? Before I could apply reason to the situation, my thoughts had bubbled out of control. What if they didn’t give him enough food? What if they starved him? Or even worse, forgot about him, telling the staff to only cook 2 portions. An unexpected feeling of anger rose inside me. I wanted to throw things, break plates and go on an impossible rescue mission to get the prince out of there. The more I thought about it, the more the rage died down, only to be replaced by spite. It creeped up on me, attacking slowly and silently before swallowing me whole. How could they do this to their own son? A plan formed in my head that needed immediate preparation. 

 

“I was early for the meeting. I stood leaning against a tree, trying to ignore the biting cold. At my feet was a huge basket with everything from bread and milk to cheese and jam. I instinctively looked at my wrist, expecting it to tell me the time. Dusk is never a good time to meet. Maybe the prince wouldn’t show up for another hour? For every minute that ticked by, my mind came up with more and more horrific scenarios. If his parents starved him, what would they do to him if they found out that he sneaked out of the castle to meet me? I was so lost in thought that I didn’t see the prince entering the park before he was right beside me. My head buzzed with questions about his parents, palace life and his freetime. How did I best tell him that I knew about his situation? In the end, all I could manage was a simple ‘Hello.’ The prince just looked down at me and smiled like christmas had come early. His smile was visible on every inch of his face, from his dimples to his chocolate brown eyes. ‘Hello,’ he mumbled back. I picked up the basket and gave it to him, half expecting him to rummage through it immediately. Instead, he looked at me with doubtfully, raising one eyebrow. 

‘Do you want me to carry it?’ he chuckled. 

‘I would!’ I added quickly. ‘But I’m not sure if the king would appreciate it if I came back to the castle.’ 

‘Why would we be at the castle?’ the prince asked, amused. ‘We’d get caught immediately!’ 

‘What do you mean?’ I asked, puzzled. 

‘Well, we can’t have a picnic next to the castle, can we?’ the prince laughed. 

A picnic? Didn’t the prince just want food to take back with him so he wouldn’t starve? Why would he want to have a picnic with me? He was risking getting caught! 

‘A picnic…?’ I started.

‘You know, eating outside on a blanket.’ he mocked.  

‘I know what a picnic is!’ I laughed and rolled my eyes. 

‘Good,’ he grinned, ‘let’s go.’

 

“We had barely walked for five minutes when the prince decided that we needed a break. When I was ready to continue, he sat down promptly, claiming to have sore feet. There was no other option than to spread the blanket and unpack the food right then and there. I still expected the prince to have the manners of a half starved wolf, but he was an exceptionally neat eater. The conversation, which I had expected to be awkward, was actually going nicely and the topics went from favourite colour to current events to philosophical life questions. The question we were stuck on the most was if we believed in love at first sight. Dan - the prince's’ name, which I had just learned - was a strong believer of this, while I was a bit more hesitant. At one point, I confronted him about his family and my suspicions and he laughed until he couldn’t breathe and tears was rolling down his cheeks. I joined in with his chuckling and a knot I didn't know was in my stomach dissolved. When we parted ways a few hours later, I had managed to convince him to send me letters, and he left me with the promise that we would meet again.  

 

“After a few weeks of letter-writing without having seen each other, I proposed we would meet again for another picnic. He accepted and I started planning the food; last time Dan had complained that I didn’t bring apples, and I wasn’t going to disappoint him this time. 

 

“At dusk the next day, I stood by the same tree eating an apple with the basket at my feet. After a few minutes, I saw the silhouette of Dan walking towards me. I waved and he waved back enthusiastically. A few moments later, I heard a cough and some shuffling. I tensed up and slowly looked behind me; there was nothing. I walked around the tree trunk and peered into the bushes, not sure of what I was looking for. I moved a couple of branches and saw several people sitting crouched amongst the leaves, dressed in the official guard uniforms. We were found out. The king must’ve gotten ahold of the letters somehow and set a trap. I cried out for the prince to run but he was too far away to hear me. As the guards rose to their feet, ready to arrest me, I heard a way too familiar sound. A bell was ringing in my left ear, so clear that it felt like I would see it if I turned my head slightly. I knew however from experience that it wasn’t really there. My vision blurred and in a few seconds it disappeared completely. I knew that my body wasn’t there anymore; the last thing to go was always my hearing even if everything else had left. 

‘PHIL!’ I heard Dan scream. It sounded like I was underwater yet I could hear every word perfectly. 

‘What have you done to him?’ Dan cried, probably to one of the guards. 

‘We got a very interesting letter this morning,’ a guard said smugly. ‘A guy bragged about how he was going to meet you tonight, said that you were going to trick the king and sneak out. And he was right, you were.’

‘He told us that if we caught you we would be promoted!’ another guard added. 

‘N-no…’ Dan stuttered. ‘He can’t have…he would never…’ The words died out and were replaced with the unmistakable sounds of crying. Then silence for a brief moment before running footsteps slowly disappearing. 

 

_**II** _

 

“I woke up on a wooden bench somewhere I couldn’t recognise. Around me was more wooden benches and pillars. After looking around, I realised that I was on a balcony of a theatre. Glancing down, I could see the stage and peering up I could see the beautiful colours of the sunrise. I laid back down on the bench and screwed my eyes closed. Dan thought that I’d tricked him, sent him right into a trap. Was it Dan who ran away? Did he run away for good? I tightened my grip on the apple and brought it up to my face. I slowly opened my eyes and felt a pang of hopelessness. I had specifically been eating this apple to show Dan that I cared enough about him to remember that he loved them. Although now, he would never know that. He was now lost in either the future or the past, depending on in which time I was in. The answer came in the form of a familiar voice. 

‘On the ground, sleep sound. I’ll apply, to your eye; gentle lover, remedy.’ The voice didn’t sound rehearsed; I would’ve thought that was genuine if I wasn’t in a theatre. I stood up and peered down to catch a glimpse of whoever the actor was. Deep down I already knew, but I needed to be sure. The boy pacing back and forth on the stage was tall with brown hobbit hair and sometimes, when he pronounced a certain word, his dimples were visible even though I was one story up. 

“‘Fairy king, attend, and mark: I do hear the morning lark.’ Dan continued to rehearse, oblivious to me. I had to get closer. As quietly as I could I walked down the stairs and hid behind a pillar. I don't know why I hid; I guess some part of me thought it was the same Dan and that he'd be angry or sad, or both. I had never left him like that before. I looked up at the stage and saw him looking at me with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance.

‘Who are you? And what are you doing here?’ he yelled. ‘Are you from another theatre? spying on our rehearsal!’ He stared at me challengingly. ‘You’ve come to steal the play from us. Admit it!’

‘Um…hi, I’m Phil…I’m not here to steal your play I just…’ What was I going to say? I couldn’t just say that I landed in the globe after time travelling from the middle ages, could I? ‘Wanted to see you.’ I finished.

‘You? Do I know you?’ He blushed and stumbled over the words slightly.

‘Um, no..I just heard that you’re really good and I wanted to see you since I can’t afford tickets to the show…’ It wasn’t the best lie but I didn’t get a lot of time to think about it.

‘Really…?’ He said, suspiciously. ‘I happen to know that the tickets are relatively cheap. Your clothes however, are not.’  I looked down quickly and then up again, meeting his eyes.

‘I inherited them from my grand grand grand grand grand grand dad…’ He must have known that I was lying at this point and just wanted to mess with me.

‘Oh, well they look awfully new to be that old!’ He chuckled.

‘Thank you!’ I answered with false proudness. ‘I only use the best washing powder.’

‘washing… what?’ He began.

‘Washing pow- oh, wait nevermind.’ Washing powder was at least 300 years ahead of his time afterall, no wonder he had never heard about it. Suddenly loud laughing echoed around us. I looked around confused for a second before Dan grabbed my arm and started dragging me towards the stage.

‘Quick! The rest of the cast is coming and they’re going to be furious if they see you! Unless you’re in the production, you’re not allowed to be in here.’ I simply nodded and he sat down and fumbled with something on the floor. I sat as well to look closer, and found out he was trying to open a trapdoor.

‘Dan, why is there even a trap door here?’ I asked.

‘How do you know my name!? And it’s where we store the props.’ He finally got the door open and I climbed down. It wasn’t much space down there, but as long as I kept my knees bent I wouldn’t bang my head on anything. When I turned around to thank him, he shot me a reassuring smile and closed the door hurriedly. Mere seconds later, I heard the chatter and the footsteps of the other actors. They began the rehearsal and I sat under the stage throughout, trying not to make any noise. I just about managed to avoid saying bless you after someone sneezed very loudly above me. When after a few hours the laughing and the stomping about had died down and the theatre was once again silent, the trap door opened and Dan’s face peered down at me.

‘There you are, I almost forgot about you!’ He said, while trying to keep a straight face.

‘No you didn’t!’ I couldn’t help but grin even though it started to gnaw on me that this couldn’t possibly last.

‘You’re right,’ he laughed. ‘I did think actually…’

‘Now that’s unusual!’ I giggled.

‘Shut up! Now as I was saying, I thought of a plan for you to see the show on Tuesday!’ He exclaimed with the excitement of a child.

‘Oh, how?’

‘The same way that you got to listen to the rehearsal,’ he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

‘By sitting amongst the props under the stage?’ I questioned skeptically. What if they needed any props? What would i do then? Hide? Help them find it? Just sit there and pretend not to notice them?

‘Exactly! Can you be here at seven tomorrow morning?’ As I didn’t have anything else to do, I just nodded.

‘What play are you performing by the way?’ I asked a bit too late; I should’ve asked before I’d spent an entire day listening to nothing but the play, and still unable to identify it.

‘You sure are daft,’ he laughed once again. ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream. It’s a new play by Shakespeare, surely you’ve heard of him? He’s quite popular. We even got to perform in front of the queen once!’ He looked so proud and I couldn’t help but smile fondly.

‘Dan, can I ask for a favour?’ I asked nervously.

‘Sure Phil, ask away!’ He replied cheerfully.

‘Could you perhaps help me out of this storage space? Or were you expecting me to stay in here until Tuesday?’ I laughed and my tongue poked out without my permission.

‘Oh, right…’ He mumbled as he pulled me up.

‘Thanks,’ I mumbled back. We walked out in silence, neither knowing what to say. We parted with an awkward handshake and a quick ‘goodbye.’ I quickly managed to find a person who could tell me the date, 12 of July 1595, which was fortunate since a few seconds later the bell rang again. At some point I started to refer to it as the bell of doom but that could’ve been later. I tried to run back to Dan. I needed to tell him that I wouldn’t be able to come, but as usual my vision blurred and I stumbled and fell. For some reason I could always hear what was happening around me even though I would have already disappeared. This time was no different, except for the fact that no one was there to make any sound; all I could hear was a pigeon landing nearby.

 

_**III** _

“It smelt like mud and grass.  Tiny little grass strands were tickling my face. I opened my eyes and it didn’t come as a surprise that I was laying face down in a…park? Large garden? Where was I? I heaved myself up to explore. It was undeniably beautiful with perfectly groomed trees, neat flowerbeds and even a pond! I always liked to explore my surroundings a bit whenever I’m thrown into another time period, although I had some problems identifying this one. It could’ve been anyplace and anytime at all; France 1762 was as likely as England 2005 from what I knew! As I was admiring a rosebush, lost in thought, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

 

‘Excuse me, are you not perhaps the new student? Phil Lester?’ He looked kind, amd wore small round spectacles matched with large hazel eyes and a brown three-piece suit.

‘Um… yes, I suppose I am.’ I still don’t know how I was enlisted, but I was.

‘Excellent!’ The man exclaimed. ‘I’m professor Heuitson. I teach classic literature; you’ll have quite a few lectures with me if my memory serves me right. Don’t worry, you haven’t missed much, just the first couple of essays. You’ll catch up in no time. Have you gotten everything you need yet?’

‘Um no, I only just arrived,’ Which actually was true. ‘I got lost in the ..well I’m still lost actually…’ Which was at least half true, I still had no idea where I was.

‘Professor Heuitson!’ Someone yelled. Professor Heuitson turned around cheerfully.

‘Scott! Having trouble with this week’s essay are you?’ He yelled back.

‘In fact, yes,’ he said once he was close enough to talk normally. ‘I just wondered if I could use books that aren’t from the university libraries?’

‘Well of course! As long as you still cite your sources properly.’ Professor Heuitson then motioned at me, ‘Have you met Phil lester? He’s new, just arrived from a school up north.’

‘You did? Is it a lot different than here?’ The other student looked at me expectantly. Maybe he wanted to hear that it was much better here and that I dreaded the other school. Or, he wanted me to say that it was the best school in the world and that I was devastated to leave. Or, maybe he was only making small talk and I was over exaggerating.

‘I don’t know,’ I said with a shrug. ‘I’ve only been here for twenty minutes or so…’

‘Oh, I can show you around if you want?’ He asked, probably politely.

‘That’d be great, thanks.’ I smiled.

‘Well, off you go then, and I’m expecting that essay to be handed in on time this week, Scott.’ Scott mock saluted and motioned me to follow him. We walked awkwardly side by side in silence for a while before he broke the tension among us.

‘Straight ahead you can see the main building.’ He pointed out, waving his hands excessively. ‘And over there,’ he pointed at a marble statue, ‘is where the theatre people meet before they perform shows.’ I only nodded. ‘They’re actually practising right now, I can introduce you. They’re very… Interesting…you’re going to like them.’ I didn’t answer. I was too busy trying to identify the time period. Definitely early 20th century, maybe 1920’s or 1930’s; all I had to go on was the clothes of Professor Heuitson and Scott. When we arrived at the auditorium where the theatre society had its meetings, I realised that Scott had been talking for the past ten minutes or so and I hadn’t been listening. I could only hope that he wouldn’t ask any questions.

‘Hello everyone! Can I have your attention please. This is Phil, he’s new!’ The tenish people who were sitting around a table overloaded with papers in the middle of the stage looked up and stared right at me. Dan sat in the middle absorbed by a paper. I flushed an embarrassing shade of red.

‘Hi Phil!’ They all said in unison before breaking down into laughter.

‘Um…hi.’ I mumbled. They looked down into their papers again still giggling.

‘They’re putting up a play of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ Scott explained. I sat with Scott for the rest of their practice. They were very disorganised and would practise lines one second and then play with the props the other. And yes. The props were stored under the stage.  

‘On the ground, sleep sound. I’ll apply, to your eye; gentle lover, remedy.’ Dan’s voice echoed though the room and I thought of the snarky Dan I left behind in 1595. I wondered how this one would be. When we walked out of the room casually chatting I made sure to walk next to Dan.

‘Hey, would you mind showing me where I can get the papers and stuff that I need? To be honest, I’m a bit unsure of how all this works.’

‘It doesn’t sound like you applied for this yourself,’ he chuckled.

‘I’m not sure I did.’ I said, half meaning it. The others dropped off a few at a time until it was only me, Dan, and Scott walking the corridors. I wanted to ask where we were and what year it was, but that would make me sound barking mad. Before I had time to think about something to ask that would answer my wonderings, Scott had to leave.

‘I’m off to see Professor Kelly, but I’ll see you two later won’t I?’

‘All right Scotty!’ Dan yelled after him. ‘Let’s meet at Legless at 2!’ Scott just waved back.

‘Legless?’ I asked skeptically.

‘A statue where we usually meet up.’ He explained.

‘But, why don’t you just call each other? You have cells don’t you?’

‘Cells? I’m not studying biology?’ He looked almost offended.

‘What no, a cellphon-oh never mind,’ I finished off quickly. Dan looked suspiciously at me from the corner of eye but said nothing.

‘Dan, what would you do if you knew someone who didn’t know you?’ I asked.

‘I’m afraid you’ve lost me there’ He chuckled again.

‘What if you wanted to be with someone all the time but every time you came close to them something happened and you had to start all over again.’

‘Well, you should talk to them. Tell them about it.’ He beamed down at me.

‘Yeah, thanks.’ I mumbled back.

‘So there’s a special someone then?’ He asked with just the tiniest bit of disappointment showing through in his voice.

‘Um… well…’ I started.

‘Dan!’ A tall blond guy in a suit to formal to be normal shouted. ‘Who’s your friend?’

‘This is Phil, he’s…he’s new…’ Dan looked very small in comparison to the tall blonde and I felt the urge to stand in front of him to protect him.

‘Where are you from then, Phil?’ He said in a mocking voice.

‘I’m from the north,’ I replied in what I thought was an intimidating voice. I probably just sounded like a ten year old.

‘What do you say Dan? Should we give him a warm welcome?’ The tall boy smirked.

‘Like you did to Scott? I don’t think so!’ He grabbed my arm and started dragging me back the corridor we came from.

‘You can’t run away from us forever you know.’ The tall boy said after us. ‘Or maybe your boyfriend’ll protect you. He’s from the north!’ He then yelled a few words at us that I’ll spare your ears from. When he was too far away to hear or see, Dan stopped in his tracks. His eyes were red and puffy as if he’d cried, but I didn’t mention it.

‘I used to be in his ‘club.’ They’re horrible! When I left, they weren’t happy to say the least.’

‘Why were you in it then?’ I couldn’t believe that he would be with people like that.

‘I just like champagne,’ he said innocently.

He looked into my eyes and teared up again. I didn’t know what to do, so I followed my instinct and reached my hand out to touch his. To my surprise he took my hand in his and smiled.

 

“Six or so months later I sat in the shadow of a tree trying to finish an essay professor Heuitson had assigned us the day before. During these months I learned both where I was and when without having to ask anyone. Oxford, 1929. I looked up at the college where I was staying. Dan and Scott were also attending but lived on different floors. I saw Dan sitting in his window with a typewriter on his knee like an early version of a laptop.

‘Hey Dan!’ I yelled. He jumped almost a foot and yelled words I’m once again not going to repeat down at me. I motioned at him to come down.

 

“We both sat under the tree, me writing my essay and him practising his lines for the performance just days away.

‘Fairy king, attend, and mark: I do hear the morning lark.’ He said confidentially. I grabbed his hand that was laying in the grass between us. It was warm and soft and triggered butterflies to fly around in my stomach. I was just about to continue writing when I heard it. In my left ear I could hear as clear as day, the bell.

‘Phil!’ Dan screamed.

Dan! I wanted to scream.

‘Phil!’ Dan!

‘Phil!’ Dan!

 

_**IV** _

“The noise was deafening. It took a while before I could recognise it as cheering. I opened my eyes as quick as I could, and instead of Dan sitting under a tree, I saw hundreds of thousands of people sitting in an arena. In the middle of the arena was empty space filled with sand. There was something about the arena that I recognised, something about the pillars and seats, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. In the middle of the arena there were now people, each person bearing spears, swords, and axes, but only some had shields. Perhaps my mind was elsewhere, because I didn’t realise that they were gladiators. The crowed cheered as even more gladiators walked in. I tried to find Dan’s face amongst them, but I couldn’t. I looked through the crowd too, but I didn’t get very far until the gladiators started fighting. It was as bloody as one would imagine. I was perfectly content with staying in the audience and then leaving as quickly as possible once this madness was over until I saw a very familiar face in the middle. I had to get him out of there. I shot up from my seat and started running down. There was a lot of people, and I must’ve shoved quite a few of them as I ran past trying to get down as quickly as possible. When I’d gotten all the way down and climbed over the fence separating the audience from the gladiators, despite plenty of protests and people trying to physically detain me, I realised that I was too late. Dan was on his knees with a spear through his stomach. I ran up to him and tried to help, but I couldn’t do anything but hold his face in my hands and reassure him that everything would be okay.

‘It’s okay Dan, you’re going to be okay, I love you, just stay with me, okay?’ He looked at me and my heart melted.

‘Who… who are you?’

The bell rang.

_**V** _

 

“It was cold, way too cold. I tried to keep some warmth in by curling into a ball but I couldn’t.  I didn’t dare open my eyes either, scared of what I would see. Explosions echoed around me, and I could’ve sworn they were getting closer. Did I just witness Dan die? I couldn’t have. Would he still be here if he did? I had to find him. I slowly opened my eyes, but closed them again instantly. This was the time I had dreaded the most to end up in. Another bomb exploded nearby. I had to find him. I opened my eyes and rose to my feet hastily. I was in a trench, its muddy walls feeling like they were getting closer and closer by the second. I started walking without really having a plan; all I knew was that I had to find Dan. The floor was just mud and puddles and my oxford shoes weren’t keeping anything out, soon my feet sopping wet and mind numbingly cold. Yet, I kept walking. I had to find him. After a few minutes I saw a group of people huddled around a pot of some sort.

‘Um… hello?’ I said unsurely. I couldn’t be sure they were English, and if they weren’t, I could’ve been in trouble. Unless they were French, that is.

‘Who are you?’ They questioned.

‘P-Phil.’ I tried to sound confident but I’m not sure it worked. ‘I’m looking for my…friend. Dan… Dan Howell.’

‘Dan? Yeah, I know of him,’ a muscular guy with a silly moustache said with a surprisingly kind voice. He was alive. I felt like skipping and laughing like a five year old. ‘You look like you’re freezing,! What are you even wearing? Do you call that a jumper? And what are those shoes? It looks like you’ve come straight from Oxford without bothering to change into something a little bit more appropriate or something.’

‘Something like that…’ I stuttered.

‘Come on. Here, have my coat.’ He handed me a long woollen coat that was so heavy that I could barely hold it up. It reeked of wet dog. ‘And try to find better shoes! You’ll ruin your feet like that!’

‘Thanks,’ I murmured. ‘You don’t happen to know where Dan is do you?’ I asked hopefully.

‘I’m afraid not,’ he said and I tried not to look disappointed. ‘Find him quickly though, quite a few people are going over the top today. I don’t know if Dan is or not.’ I continued to walk, the coat warming me more than I thought it would. The explosions were getting closer and whenever I saw airplanes in the sky I would duck, not that it would help but it made me feel more secure. This was the nightmare of my nightmares. I wasn’t meant for war. I once got sent back to the American Civil War and since then, I’ve been afraid of ever getting sent into another war! Not to mention the first World War! My feet were numb from the cold when I saw him. I tried to run up to him but I couldn’t. Instead, I stumbled over after yelling his name, probably embarrassing myself.

‘Dan!’ He looked up, confused. I wanted him to yell my name back but I knew he wouldn’t know me. Instead, he looked at me with the confused look I’ve come to almost associate with him.

‘Do I know you?’ He asked, looking bewildered.

‘Um, yeah...I mean, no.’ I was so glad to see him that I couldn't talk properly. ‘I’m Phil. I’m here to…’ My voice faltered. The explosions were very close now. I looked up and saw an actual grenade heading our way! I panicked and with all the strength I had - not much - and pushed Dan well out of the way. The bomb landed and exploded at a different place.

‘I’m so sorry Dan! I thought it would land closer, and now your clothes are all muddy and wet! Here take my coat, I can take yours...Dan...say something! Are you okay?’ I stumbled over the words and had to take a deep breath afterwards. I was expecting screaming of terrible words but instead I heard,  ‘Did you try to save me from a bomb?’ He asked it calmly and with a bit of amusement.

‘Eh.. yeah…’

‘For a stranger, just like that?’ He said, snapping his fingers once. I wanted to say no, not for a stranger, for you. Instead, I just nodded.

‘You’re coming with us tonight,’ he said sincerely. ‘I need someone I can trust.’

‘Um…where are you going?’ I had to ask, even if I already knew the answer. Maybe I was wrong.

‘Why over the top of course,’ was his reply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. ‘Be here at 5pm, okay?

‘Sure...’ What had I gotten myself into? What would happen if I died? I Didn’t even want to think about it. I still had two hours to kill before I had to meet dan again. Maybe kill isn't the right word; spend sounds better. I sat down in a relatively dry area and waited.

 

“I must’ve fallen asleep, because one second I was sitting on the ground with no one around, and the next Dan was shaking me and yelling my name with worry apparent in his eyes.

‘Phil! Phil! We’re going now!’ He half yelled at me. I quickly rose to my feet and to my surprise managed to keep my balance. The others started planning and I stood awkwardly behind, not understanding much. After a few minutes they started lining up. Someone shoved a gun and a helmet in my hands, and I was reminded of how unprepared I was for this. I found Dan talking to someone who looked important and I walked up to then.

‘Dan! What do you want me to do?’

‘Bomb lookout! It’s the most important task, without you none of us will survive this.’ No pressure then. We all lined up in the trench prepared to leave when the whistle sounded. My breathing became heavier, and my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. The whistle sounded and we all climbed up. When I was up I started, just like everybody else, to run, looking up at the sky as I did so. I could see Dan a few meters in front of me, running as if he had nothing left to live for and it felt like a punch to the gut. I wanted to protect him, but I knew that all I could do was keep an eye out for grenades. As I ran I became even more aware on how unprepared I was. My shoes gave me no grip at all, and I struggled to keep myself upright. I was soaked to the bone and if it weren’t for the coat, I would’ve been too cold to even move. If there ever was grenades raining down on us, I never saw them, for after a little while I heard a certain bell ring in my left ear. My vision blurred and I lost my footing. As I was laying In the mud, my vision was hazy I could hear people screaming, crying and shooting around me. For once, I wasn’t sad to leave.”

 

Phil looked over at Dan who, was asleep in his bed. Phil didn’t know when he’d fallen asleep; maybe he’d heard the entire thing, or maybe he’d fallen asleep in the beginning. At least he’d follow Oxford Dan’s advise and told him everything; the question was now if he’d heard it. He stood from his chair and walked out of Dan’s room, stopping in the doorway. He looked back at the sleeping Dan.

“I love you Dan.” He whispered. Hoping that somehow Dan would, in his dreamland, hear it. He continued to walk aimlessly through the apartment, stopping outside the kitchen. Perhaps another 3am snack would be a good idea. He deliberately took Dan’s favourite cereal and started eating from the box. Maybe Dan would remember this tomorrow. Maybe they should do something special, like go to a restaurant or catch a movie. Before he could start arranging plans for tomorrow, Phil heard the most horrible sound that exists. It had been almost 9 years since he heard it last and now it was here again. The bell that rang in his left ear.

**Author's Note:**

> This was so much fun and I couldn’t have done it without my wonderful beta and my amazing artist. Thank you so much!


End file.
